If there’s a literature-shaped absence in your life, don’t fret: The Library of Congress has you covered. Whether you’re local to Washington, D.C. or elsewhere on the globe, our literary events are archived online and available for you to watch anytime.
In case you missed out on any of our spring events, you can now catch them online as webcasts:
On February 7, poet Brenda Shaughnessy read and discussed her work with Ron Charles, editor of The Washington Post’s Book World, as part of The Life of a Poet series. Watch the event here.
On February 10, African Poetry Book Fund board members Chris Abani, Matthew Shenoda, and Aracelis Girmay discussed contemporary African poetry with Mary Jane Deeb, chief of the African and Middle Eastern Division. Immediately following, Kwame Dawes introduced African poets Yasmin Belkhyr, Chekwube O. Danladi, Safia Elhillo, Tsitsi Jaji, Mukoma Wa Ngugi, Ladan Osman, Hope Wabuke, and Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, who read from their work. Watch the event here.
On February 16, writer Immanuel Mifsud read from his work and discussed his career with the Library’s Lucia Wolf as part of the International Literature series. Watch the event here.
On March 30, Canadian poets Suzanne Buffam, David O’Meara, and Liz Howard read their poetry in the first of an ongoing collaboration between Ottawa’s VerseFest and the Library of Congress. Watch the event here.
On April 3, authors/scholars Geraldine Brooks, Paul Harding, Steven Knapp, and Alan Lightman joined 2016 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction winner Marilynne Robinson in a panel discussion centered on intersections of fiction, faith, and the imagination. Watch the event here.
On April 4, poet Dana Levin read and discussed her work with Ron Charles, editor of The Washington Post’s Book World, as part of The Life of a Poet series. Watch the event here.
On April 12, Caine Prize winner Lidudumalingani Mqombothi read from his prize-winning short story “Memories We Lost” and participated in a moderated discussion with the Library’s Laverne Page as part of the Conversations with African Poets and Writers series. Watch the event here.
On April 20, the Library presented the 2016 Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry to Claudia Rankine for her book Citizen: An American Lyric, and to Nathaniel Mackey for lifetime achievement. Watch the event here and below:
Stay tuned for more webcasts, and check out our upcoming events!